Swansea City are a big club : Chiedoze Ogbene speaks out
Tuesday, 24th May 2022 17:27 by Keith Haynes

It has been talked about on and off for about a week, Rotherham United’s Chiedozie Ogbene who has seen EFL Cup win and a promotion to the championship wants to be at a ‘big club’ like Swansea City. For any doubt in anyones mind he has already made that clear despite his club now being in the same league as the swans.

Ogebene, although born in Nigeria is a Republic of Ireland international with seven caps and three goals under his belt. Raised in Ireland he started his football senior career off at Cork City. His club career has seen a gradual improvement over the past seven years and now the twenty five year old has made it clear he wants to at least talk with interested managers this summer. And he cited Swansea City in particular. “Every player wants to be at a stable and established club - especially a big one like Swansea City” Those words are definitely a ‘come and get me’ plea from Ogbene much the same as when he approached the Republic manager Stephen Kenny in late 2020 and stated he wanted to play for Ireland. Kenny said at the time. “There was a long process to get him registered to play for us. The process was with Uefa and Fifa, and having to trawl through records, which I didn’t feel was right. He was living in Cork since he was seven.”

Ogbene knows his own mind. And it worked out superbly for him.

And let’s be serious here for one moment, he wouldn’t just pluck the swans out of the air, he knows most certainly there is interest or he wouldn’t have said it. Despite only scoring four goals for Rotherham in eighty one games ( ninety four in total, five goals ) he is viewed as an exciting attacking player who supplied his club with eight league assists between November and the end of the season. The way the swans play he would find himself with plenty of opportunities to improve upon that if he joins the club. That is if Russell Martin doesn’t have other positional plans for him.

Once interest was known in Ogbene Rotherham triggered an extra year on his contract which will mean a lot more financial thought needs to go in to any signing. However that doesn’t worry the player as he approaches his prime in English football. Obviously Ogbene also needs to be careful with his words now he has put it out there of his admiration for Swansea City. Talking to the Irish Examiner he said “I’m not going to settle to be a bench-warmer somewhere else, I left Brentford chasing game-time. That’s my philosophy and I don’t want to change it now just because it’s a big club. If a club were interested, I would sit down with their manager to see if I fit his plans and style of play; discover the platform he’d give me to improve as a man and player. There has to be a balance, in terms of the right club and level. Rotherham were unfortunate to get relegated the last time. The manager knows what’s at stake and what they need to do.I can’t say what the future holds but I’m confident we have the team at Rotherham to stay up if we were to go for it. We have proved people wrong before.”

Another admirer of Ogbene is Keith Andrews, the Irish assistant manager. “I think he’s capable of doing anything he wants to do. I’m sure Rotherham will be worried regardless. He’s certainly shone. He’s been a breath of fresh air on and off the pitch. As a human being, he’s a special young man. We’re delighted to have him in and to see him flourish.”

Watch Ogbene score his wonder goal for Ireland against Belgium

That gives an insight in to the players mindset, and yes he’s a strong character, but maybe a pre season fine tuning his overall attitude is possibly needed with a manager like Russell Martin ? Laying down the law regards selection isn’t going to work at Swansea. Ogbene though is clearly wanting to speak with the swans, and if the rumours of Martin’s interest are as accurate as many believe, he will do. Rob Scott is currently the ‘head of recruitment’ at Rotherham and it makes you think that before his brother Andy left the swans some family chat may have taken place.

Ogbene and ‘that goal’ once again

In any event, this bright and pacey winger, who can operate on both sides of the pitch looks like the first real tangible news of the closed season. Albeit the month has some way to go before June kicks in.